President of Wifaq-ul-Madaris Al-Shia Pakistan, Ayatollah Hafiz Syed Riaz Hussain Najafi, during his Friday sermon at Jamia Masjid Ali (a.s), Hawza Ilmiyya Jamia-tul-Muntazir, Model Town Lahore, emphasized that if we abandon the Holy Qur'an, the world will crush us. He strongly urged people to learn the Qur'an and teach it to others, study its translation and commentary, and apply the teachings of the Qur'an and the lifestyle of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s) in their lives — only then will we be successful.
He particularly stressed that every family should have at least one person who becomes a religious scholar, so they can contribute to the spread of Islam. He mentioned that the honor bestowed upon personalities like Allama Abul Qasim Khoei, Imam Khomeini, Ayatollah Hafiz Bashir Najafi, Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei, and Allama Abul Qasim Haeri was because of their knowledge. He added that one of the main reasons for the success of the Islamic Republic of Iran is that nearly every household has a religious scholar.
Ayatollah Najafi referred to Surah At-Tawbah and said that Allah commands in the Qur’an that some people should go for jihad and others should dedicate themselves to learning religion. He emphasized that we must become both Muslims and scholars, so we can contribute to the advancement of Islam and achieve success in the Hereafter. Merely organizing gatherings during Muharram is not enough; we must also learn the religion ourselves.
The head of Wifaq-ul-Madaris stated that due to the concept of Ijtihad in the school of Ahlul Bayt, no issue remains unsolved. Our jurists and Mujtahids have addressed modern problems with Islamic perspectives, whereas in other schools of thought, the door to Ijtihad is closed. He shared how Allama Hilli used to practice Ijtihad and that when he provided a religious solution to a divorce issue for the king of Iran, the entire nation embraced Shi'ism.
He gave an example by saying that among Sunni brothers, after divorce, the solution offered is Halala (temporary marriage), but Allama Hilli proposed a better, more authentic solution. He narrated a humorous incident where Allama Hilli sat with the king in court while still wearing shoes. When questioned, he jokingly said that Abu Hanifa carried the Prophet’s shoes, to which it was pointed out that Abu Hanifa was born long after the Prophet. Allama Hilli replied that this is exactly our case — Imam Ali (a.s) and all the Imams who followed presented the same religion as taught by the Prophet (PBUH).
In conclusion, he stated that Halala has no rational basis, and even prominent Sunni scholars like Maulana Maududi and institutions like Al-Azhar University do not accept it. He also paid tribute to the scholarly services and martyrdoms of Shahid-e-Awwal, Shahid-e-Thani, and Shahid-e-Salis in the subcontinent.
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